The weight of the wait

University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Spring 2017 The weight of the wait Theresa Krallitsch University of Iowa Copyright 2017 Theresa Krallitsch This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5540 Recommended Citation Krallitsch, Theresa. "The weight of the wait." MFA (Master of Fine Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2017. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5540. Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the Art Practice Commons

THE WEIGHT OF THE WAIT by Theresa Krallitsch A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa May 2017 Thesis Supervisor: Professor Sue Hettmansperger

Copyright by THERESA KRALLITSCH 2017 All Rights Reserved

Graduate College The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL This is to certify that the Master s thesis of MASTER S THESIS Theresa Krallitsch has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art at the May 2017 graduation. Thesis Committee: Sue Hettmansperger, Thesis Supervisor Susan Chrysler White Anita Jung James Snitzer

Für meinen Vater ii

The I finds that, in the presence of an other, it is breaking down. It does not know itself; perhaps it never will. But is that the task, to know oneself? Judith Butler Giving an Account of Oneself iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank my committee members, Sue Hettmansperger, Susan White, Anita Jung, and James Snitzer, for our fulfilling conversations, constructive criticism, and endless encouragement over the past few years. I thank Jason Renaud for standing by my side on both the brightest and darkest days. Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents, Peter and Elaine Krallitsch, for always believing in me. iv

PUBLIC ABSTRACT My artwork consists of drawings, paintings, prints, textiles, and found materials that are manipulated into sculptural forms. It addresses the grieving process relative to my personal experiences. I explore the passage of time and architectural spaces as a means to comprehend the human condition. v

TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES... vii QUESTIONING... 1 SEEKING GUIDANCE... 2 PROCESSING... 3 vi

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Not so distant past, Acrylic paint, chalk pastel, on fabric and canvas, 2014... 4 Figure 2. She, Acrylic paint, found fabric, architectural blueprint on canvas, 2014... 5 Figure 3. Web, Carry, Conceal (installation view), Left: Inkjet print on Rives BFK, Middle: Inkjet prints on fabric (sewn), bungee cord, nylon rope, Right: Inkjet print on Rives BFK, 2015... 6 Figure 4. Eventually is Now, Found door, tulle, LED light, 2015... 7 Figure 5. Window of Time, Inkjet prints on Stonehenge, 2015... 8 Figure 6. Family Ties, Inkjet print on architectural blueprint, 2015... 9 Figure 7. Shapeshifter, Found fabric (sewn), 2016... 10 Figure 8. A Space to Account for Mistakes, Found fabric, 2016... 11 Figure 9. Is Anyone Else Seeing This? Acrylic paint, inkjet print, found fabric on Rives BFK, 2016... 12 Figure 10. I have feelings, but they don't have to control me. Inkjet prints on Rives BFK and fabric (sewn), 2016... 13 Figure 11. Nourishment, Inkjet print on Rives BFK, ripstop nylon (sewn), 2016... 14 Figure 12. On Time installation view, 2016... 15 Figure 13. Why can't I get a straight answer? Installation view, self-designed patterns on polyester, 2017... 16 Figure 14. Why can't I get a straight answer? Installation view, Acrylic paint on Rives BFK, architectural blueprints, found fabric, toilet paper rolls, inkjet print on lace, self-designed patterns on polyester, 2017... 17 Figure 15. Life Support, Inkjet print on Rives BFK, self-designed pattern on polyester, ripstop nylon (sewn), 2017... 18 Figure 16. I didn't plan for this, found architectural blueprints and clock, 2017... 19 Figure 17. Unexpected Outcome, Inkjet print on Rives BFK, self-designed pattern on polyester (sewn), 2017... 20 Figure 18. The Weight of the Wait installation view, 2017... 21 vii

QUESTIONING Reconciling with weight carried by grief, I wonder where to start. It seems there is no beginning to an unknown end. My father was diagnosed with dementia in 2010. Due to a lack of memory, constant repetition structures his speech. We have been reciting the same conversation on a weekly basis for years. Human behavior disguised in pattern. Hallo, Papa! Oh, hello, Terri! Wie geht s? OK, wie geht s dir? Wo bist du? Ich bin in Iowa City, at the University of Iowa. With little concept of time and space, he asks me where I am each time we chat. As I watch him drift further from a reality the general population experiences, I wonder where he is, where he thinks I am, and furthermore, ask myself, Where am I? 1

SEEKING GUIDANCE Mining my personal history and experiences, I look to artists who have done the same to engage in a dialogue greater than my own. Inspired by multi-disciplinary female artists, like Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois, I push myself to expand across mediums. Each engagement with a new material informs a visual identity for the subject, which results from the sensory experience of making. Conceptually focused on memory and loss, I strive to convey an essence harnessed in works by Doris Salcedo and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Their abstract presentations of grief use everyday materials that encourage viewer participation. This delivery method fuels my desire to make work referencing human tragedy with the hope that all viewers can find an access point. Attending to details in exhibition spaces, such as movement of light through the windows over time, I seek guidance from works by James Turrell. I attempt to grasp the viewer s attention through a meditation influenced by the space. I prompt the audience to consider exterior implications on interior processes. 2

PROCESSING Through endless reflection and contemplation of what may come next, my artistic process allows me to trust a physical real-ness that perpetuates life s journey. I address frustration with disorientation, of bodies, of time. In a search to navigate barriers that prohibit movement through unfamiliar space, I create barriers to silence unwanted noise. I transform the inner turmoil of grief into a visual language via paper and textiles, materials that are inherently collapsible and often supported by manufactured structures. Investigating materials from family members I have lost (blueprints from my father s occupation as a structural engineer, textiles from my grandmother) allows me to exist in a presence no longer burdened by mourning. Physical documentation marks a time that no longer exists. It is a window to the past, veiled by the curtain of time, a construct believed to mark progress. I map these territories as a catalyst for reflection. I start with the act of drawing. Intimate and meditative, this process allows me to create images rooted in the moment. I choose colors and shapes influenced by mood, by nature, by conversations that occur throughout my day. When the act of drawing reaches mental exhaustion, I move to digital imaging. Mindless and repetitive, this process aides my construction of patterns composed of drawings and personal photos, multiplied. I then use printmaking to exit the digital sphere and manipulate materials physically. The act of sewing allows me to make amends. Assisted by the machine, rough edges become concealed, paper and fabric coexist as one form, and the initial drawing gains a new identity - one that is capable of withstanding tension over time. These diverse processes attempt to complete meandering thoughts, resulting in something reminiscent of another time, a time that no longer, or yet, exists. 3

Figure 1. Not so distant past, Acrylic paint, chalk pastel, on fabric and canvas, 2014 4

Figure 2. She, Acrylic paint, found fabric, architectural blueprint on canvas, 2014 5

Figure 3. Web, Carry, Conceal (installation view), Left: Inkjet print on Rives BFK, Middle: Inkjet prints on fabric (sewn), bungee cord, nylon rope, Right: Inkjet print on Rives BFK, 2015 6

Figure 4. Eventually is Now, Found door, tulle, LED light, 2015 7

Figure 5. Window of Time, Inkjet prints on Stonehenge, 2015 8

Figure 6. Family Ties, Inkjet print on architectural blueprint, 2015 9

Figure 7. Shapeshifter, Found fabric (sewn), 2016 10

Figure 8. A Space to Account for Mistakes, Found fabric, 2016 11

Figure 9. Is Anyone Else Seeing This? Acrylic paint, inkjet print, found fabric on Rives BFK, 2016 12

Figure 10. I have feelings, but they don't have to control me. Inkjet prints on Rives BFK and fabric (sewn), 2016 13

Figure 11. Nourishment, Inkjet print on Rives BFK, ripstop nylon (sewn), 2016 14

Figure 12. On Time installation view, 2016 15

Figure 13. Why can't I get a straight answer? Installation view, self-designed patterns on polyester, 2017 16

Figure 14. Why can't I get a straight answer? Installation view, Acrylic paint on Rives BFK, architectural blueprints, found fabric, toilet paper rolls, inkjet print on lace, self-designed patterns on polyester, 2017 17

Figure 15. Life Support, Inkjet print on Rives BFK, self-designed pattern on polyester, ripstop nylon (sewn), 2017 18

Figure 16. I didn't plan for this, found architectural blueprints and clock, 2017 19

Figure 17. Unexpected Outcome, Inkjet print on Rives BFK, self-designed pattern on polyester (sewn), 2017 20

Figure 18. The Weight of the Wait installation view, 2017 21